Occult Rituals

It’s a common belief that only those initiated in the rites and practices of arcane, divine, or psychic magic can cast spells, but this is not strictly true. Hidden within dusty libraries and amid the ramblings of lunatics lie the mysteries of another form of spellcasting—occult ritual magic. These spells are rare, coveted by both those eager to gain their power and those wishing to hide their existence. Most traditional spellcasters consider these rituals dangerous and uncontrollable, something to be avoided or used as a last resort. They fear the power these ceremonies grant to the uninitiated, as the rituals allow those with only a glimmering of understanding the ability to interact with the underlying fabric of magic.

While anyone can attempt to cast occult rituals, the process is fraught with peril. The strange and intricate incantations are often challenging to perform with precision, and failure can weaken the casters or even unleash horrors upon the world. Even when successfully performed, each occult ritual has a price—a backlash that affects at least the caster leading the ritual, and often those assisting in its performance.Click here for the full rules on Occult Rituals.

Effect

By using finely crushed animal bones to mark her own skin with symbols associated with a specific wendo, the primary caster readies herself for possession by that wendo. After lying prostrate and placing smooth stones over her eyes, the primary caster negotiates with the wendo to convince it to inhabit her body.

An unwilling wendo can resist the summons by succeeding at a Will saving throw. If the wendo succeeds at the saving throw, it doesn’t enter the primary caster, but the ritual is still considered a success. A wendo that fails or forgoes this save is summoned into the primary caster’s body, where it speaks by way of the caster’s voice, which takes on elements associated with that wendo (a gravelly quality for a wendo tied to the earth, for example). The wendo has no further control of the caster’s mind or body, and it must leave the primary caster when that caster ceases to concentrate. While the wendo speaks through the caster, secondary casters can ask it questions, at a maximum rate of 1 question per round (regardless of the number of secondary casters). The wendo speaks in a language the primary caster knows and can refuse to answer questions, can answer them cryptically, or can lie using Bluff with a +16 bonus on the attempt. The wendo is not otherwise beholden to the ritual casters.